VLC is regarded as one of the best open-source cross-platform media player around. The highly portable, free media player supports most of the available file formats and also lets you stream movies and music over a network. VideoLan project had its humble beginnings as an academic project in 1996. It was initially designed to consist of a client and a server to stream videos across a campus network. The project was then written from scratch in 1998 and was released under the GPL in 2001. More than ten years since its first release, VLC has become the prime choice of many Windows and Linux users. Growing slowly and steadily, this open-source player is now being ported to Windows 8 and Android.

Many people use VLC for playing videos or even music. What they don't know is that VLC is much more powerful than a simple video player. It can be used to do a variety of things and once you know a few tricks, you can turn it into a complete powerhouse. So, without much ado, here are some tips to make the most out of your VLC Player:

Watch YouTube Videos Locally

For those of us who got tired of watching videos in our browsers, there are applications like Minitube. If, however, you don't want to install any additional software then our very own VLC pretty much does the job. To watch a YouTube video on your VLC player all you have to do is open VLC, then press Ctrl+N on the main screen.

Then, once you've done that, paste the URL of the video you want to watch locally and then press the Play button. The video will start playing on VLC instantly.

Download Youtube Videos

Once your video starts playing, press Ctrl + I on the main screen. After that click on Media information and copy the URL that is there in the box that says Location. Paste this URL in your browser's address bar and press Enter.

Control VLC with your Android Smartphone

The Play Store offers some great applications that let you control VLC using your smartphone. One of my favorites is VLC HD Remote (+ Stream), a free application that lets you control your VLC installation with your Android smartphone.

By installing a single app you'll be able to stream content from your computer to your phone and vice versa. VLC Direct Pro, once installed, lets you stream local movies, music and photos to your desktop. The same thing can be done the other way round.

Rip DVDs

VLC also lets you rip DVDs while you're playing them. To do this go to View, then click on ‘Advanced Controls’. Now, you'll see that a few extra buttons have popped up below the progress slider. Whenever you are playing a video press the red record button (the one that looks like a dot) and your video will be recorded and saved in your home directory.

Written by: Abhishek, a regular TechSource contributor and a long-time FOSS advocate.